CHILD PROTECTION. Protecting Children in Emergencies and in Conflict-Affected Areas or Rakhine, Kachin and Northern Shan States

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1 CHILD PROTECTION Protecting Children in Emergencies and in Conflict-Affected Areas or Rakhine, Kachin and Northern Shan States 2 Meeting the Humanitarian Needs of Children in Myanmar Fundraising Concept Note 13 UNICEF Myanmar/2009/Min Zarni Zaw

2 UNICEF Myanmar/2010/Naung Oo Pho Cho Protecting Children in Emergencies and in Conflict-Affected Areas or Rakhine, Kachin and Northern Shan States Amount USD 7,300,800 Project Duration 1 Year Focus Population IDPs living in camps or in villages, and conflict-affected persons in hosting communities and surrounding communities. More than half are female, and over eighty per cent are children. Geographic Coverage Conflict-affected Townships in Rakhine, Kachin and northern Shan states Partners Current partners include: Danish Refugee Council (DRC), Plan International, Save the Children (SCI), and Relief International (RI), Danish Church Aid (DCA), Myanmar Red Cross Society (MRSC), World Vision (WV), Community and Family Services International (CFSI), Handicap International Country Programme Outcome Outcome 106: Children in need of support, care and protection are identified by and have access to public social welfare systems Country Programme Output Output : National and international standards are implemented to prevent and respond to grave violations against children as per UNSC Resolutions 1612/1882 and to contribute to on-going peace building including responding to emergencies. Humanitarian Response Plan 1. Ensure that the life-saving protection and assistance needs of people affected by conflict and/or disasters are met; Objectives 2. Ensure that people affected by conflict and/or disasters have equitable access to basic services and livelihoods opportunities; and 3. Enhance the resilience of communities to conflict and natural disasters and contribute to early recovery and durable solutions. Humanitarian 1. Protection services are improved, expanded and more accessible Response Plan Sector Outcome 2. Protective environment is improved by mitigating threats to mental wellbeing, physical and legal safety. CCC Strategic Result Girls and boy s rights to protection from violence, abuse and exploitation are sustained and promoted 14 Meeting the Humanitarian Needs of Children in Myanmar Fundraising Concept Note

3 1. Background UNICEF and its partners are working together to prevent and respond to violence, abuse and exploitation of boys and girls living in emergency settings as a result of conflict and/or disasters. The country is currently affected by active armed conflict in Kachin and northern Shan states (K/nS), and the effects of the 2012 inter-communal violence in Rakhine State. In the northern Townships of Rakhine State in particular the humanitarian consequences have aggravated the pre-dating human rights crisis of affected populations. As the two emergencies have become protracted, family s financial assets as well as psycho-social wellbeing are becoming increasingly depleted and families can resort to negative coping mechanisms leading to family separation, domestic violence, child marriage, sexual exploitation, perilous migration and trafficking. At the same time, new displacement continues to occur in K/nS, where many families have been displaced multiple times since Displacement is increasingly occurring in Northern and even Central Shan State. Myanmar is also prone to natural hazards such as earthquakes, cyclones, floods and fires, which put children at high risk of child protection issues in the aftermath of disasters, such as family separation, sexual exploitation and trafficking and impacts their psychosocial well-being. In July/August 2015, wide parts of Myanmar were affected by flooding and landslides, as well as the impact of nearby Cyclone Komen. Families continue to struggle to recover, raising high protection concerns such as increases in risky migration and trafficking, child marriage, child labour and exploitation. Rakhine In Rakhine State, inter-communal violence between Muslim and Rakhine communities has led to forced displacement and isolation of the two communities in camps and within villages with a likelihood of a longer-term segregation and urgent protection risks. As the fourth year of displacement has commenced, frustrations of families are growing and positive coping mechanisms are depleting. Throughout 2015, more and more families, but also unaccompanied children, have been trying to escape the poor conditions in IDP camps and under-served parts of the state through irregular migration by boat, risking being trafficked. Other phenomena are also on the rise with the protracted nature of the crises, such as early marriage, sexual exploitation, and violence and abuse at home. Adolescents remain underserved in the humanitarian response, and with no formal education nor livelihood opportunities they are at acute risk of adopting negative coping mechanisms. In the northern Townships of Rakhine State, the lives of the stateless population are governed by local administrative orders and related restrictions specifically applied to this population which limits freedom of movement, freedom to marry, limitation on the number of children per family, and the freedom to practice a religion. The population faces abuses such as physical violence, Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV), arbitrary arrest and detention, extortion as well as child and forced labour. Due to the high rate of detention and departure of the male population a high number of households are female-headed and are particularly vulnerable due to the very few livelihood opportunities for women. It can also be presumed that child-headed households, and households headed by elderly looking after children are increasing - raising particular protection concerns. Kachin and northern Shan With the ongoing conflict, children in K/nS are exposed to Grave Violations by armed forces and groups, including use and recruitment, sexual violence, occupation of schools, and killing and maiming. Since 2007, UNICEF, as co-chair and secretariat of the Country Task Force on Monitoring and Reporting (CTFMR) on the six Grave Violations against children is managing a Monitoring and Reporting Mechanism (MRM) as per UN Security Council Resolution 1612 to ensure proper referral of child survivors of Grave Violations as well as to document such cases for high-level advocacy, including with the parties to the conflict. This has led to the listing of 8 parties to the conflict including the Government, and to the signature of a Plan of Action in 2012 to end recruitment and use of children by Tatmadaw. Mine/UXO risks are a major protection concern in K/nS, as well as other mine/ Meeting the Humanitarian Needs of Children in Myanmar Fundraising Concept Note 15

4 UXO-affected areas of Myanmar while awareness remains low. A 2014 Rapid Assessment shows that 90% of children do not know how to protect themselves from explosive devices, while one out two children reported having seen a real explosive devices. As of 30 November 2015, UNICEF and partners documented more than 28 casualties from landmines and other explosive devices. Half of the casualties were from Kachin and Shan state. At the same time, displaced populations in K/nS are also facing protracted displacement, with impacts on positive coping mechanisms. Family separation, early marriage, domestic violence, risky migration and trafficking, as well as drug abuse are increasingly common incidents recorded. 2. Project Rationale UNICEF is working both with IDP and host communities in order to ensure that programming does not unintentionally exacerbate conflicts, and is linking emergency interventions with longerterm development initiatives to support durable solutions to displacement. Community-based child protection mechanisms play a key role in identifying children at risk of abuse, exploitation, and neglect. These children are provided with lifesaving case management interventions by trained case workers including care for survivors of abuse, exploitation and neglect and preventing future violations. UNICEF provides increased access to psycho-social support to conflict-affected children by establishing Safe Spaces in both IDP camps and host communities. Especially for children who are prevented to move freely outside camp, these are often the only safe spaces where they can access free and structured recreational and learning activities to restore a sense of normality and continuity in their life. Since 2014, increasing focus was put on including adolescents in psychosocial support activities. This group has been identified as having increased protection risks, and has been underserved by the response todate. UNICEF has successfully assisted the Child Protection Sub-Sector in rolling out life-skills programming, with about 5,000 reached in As of December 2015, UNICEF is supporting partners in the roll out of the Adolescent Toolkit for Innovation and Expression, which provides further guidance for adolescent groups and adolescent projects. In addition, UNICEF works closely with the Government as well as non-state actors to roll-out mine risk education (MRE) in Government- and non-government controlled areas. MRE provides children and their families in mine-contaminated areas with vital awareness and knowledge on how to minimize mine risks. In 2015, a Common Toolkit on Mine Risk was adopted by 28 organisations. UNICEF plays a strong role in inter-agency coordination and collaboration amongst CBOs, international and national NGOs, UN agencies, and Government counterparts, and through regular and sustained interaction with these actors is able to mobilize joint action and set minimum standards to prevent and respond to child protection concerns. Specifically, UNICEF is co-chairing the National Mine Risk Working Group along with Department of Social Welfare, the UN Country Task Force on Monitoring and Reporting on grave violations against children (CTFMR) along with the UN Resident Coordinator, and is also leading the Child Protection in Emergencies Sub-Sector under the UNHCR-led Protection Sector at national and subnational level (Kachin and Rakhine) which includes specific inter-agency work on family tracing and reunification, as well as on reintegration. UNICEF, as co-chair of the CTFMR, is supporting the Government to implement the Plan of Action to end recruitment and use of children. As of December 2015, this included monitoring 61 Tatmadaw military facilities including Border Guards Forces, as well as to support the release and reintegration of 699 children and young people, and the continuous operation of a free-of charge reporting phone line to report cases of recruitment and use.. In addition, UNICEF has been building on increased opportunities to engage the seven Ethnic Armed Groups which are known to recruit and use children. 3. Project Implementation UNICEF has established community-based child protection mechanisms (CBCPM), consisting of male and female community members who are 16 Meeting the Humanitarian Needs of Children in Myanmar Fundraising Concept Note

5 trained in the identification of child protection concerns and conduct prevention activities in the community. These will continued to be supported and their capacity built. Currently, the provision of child protection case management by trained case workers is limited to Sittwe, Pauktaw and Myebon Township. To close this gap and to enable more humanitarian actors to provide this life-saving support to child survivors of violence, where there is opportunity, UNICEF will link these efforts up to the nascent national child protection system, which UNICEF supports through DSW. Psycho-social support provided through access to safe spaces, including adolescents, will remain crucial for conflict-affected populations. UNICEF will continue to support and set standards for safe spaces, so that they are not only a space for psycho-social support but a key space to identify child protection concerns. UNICEF will continue to lead child protection agencies in increasing the engagement with adolescents, through life-skills training and youth clubs. Due to funding limitations, as of December 2015, there is no child protection programme in the northern Townships of Rakhine State, despite urgent child protection needs. However, UNICEF has secured some funding and is using internal sources to establish a comprehensive child protection programme in In a phased approach, UNICEF will establish child protection coordination including service mapping and establishing the vital relations to local authorities, will gradually build the capacity of the local partner to establish of community-based child protection mechanisms, child protection monitoring and lifesaving case management interventions, as well as adolescent engagement. For Mine Risks, UNICEF has supported key scoping studies in 2014 to understand perceptions and knowledge of mine-affected populations. Building this evidence-base, UNICEF has developed a common Mine Risk Education toolkit which was endorsed in 2015 by 28 organisations. Ensuring the use of quality, locally adapted, and field-tested common messaging by all MRE organisations is key for successful MRE interventions. This toolkit will be rolled out across mine-affected areas in 2016, providing affected populations with key knowledge to protect themselves. UNICEF has also successfully negotiated the provision of MRE in areas controlled by the Kachin Independence Army (KIA). UNICEF, in partnership with the Myanmar Red Cross, is also providing emergency mine-victim assistance, including medical transport and assistance with socio-economic reintegration. For Children and Armed Conflict, UNICEF will continue the co-chair of the CTFMR, cooperate with the Government of Myanmar and the Armed Forces to end the recruitment and use of children, monitor military installations for compliance with Meeting the Humanitarian Needs of Children in Myanmar Fundraising Concept Note 17 UNICEF Myanmar/2015/Kyaw Kyaw Winn

6 the 2012 Joint Action Plan, monitor and respond to grave violations of children nation-wide. Children discharged from military service will be provided with socio-economic reintegration support through individual case management. RESULTS FRAMEWORK Expected Project Outcome: 190,000 conflict-affected children in Rakhine, Kachin and northern Shan states have improved access to a protective environment Expected Outputs K/nS Rakhine Total Output 1: Children have access to psychosocial support and life-saving case management services, through safe spaces and individual counselling 40, , ,000 Output 2: Children, families and communities living in landmines and other explosive devices contaminated areas receive MRE lesson(s) from the trained human resources. Output 3: Children associated with armed forces and armed groups are reintegrated nationwide * 50,000 50,000 National Target 400 TOTAL 40, , ,400 * The target for children released from armed forces and armed groups and reintegrated nationwide is an estimate. The final result will be based on the identification and release of these children. 4. Geographic Coverage and Beneficiaries The project targets 190,400 children, in emergencyaffected townships of Rakhine and K/nS states. For the work on Children and Armed Conflict, UNICEF s operates nation-wide to identify, release and reintegrate children used and recruited by the Myanmar Armed Forces and Ethnic Armed Groups and to monitor other grave violations against children during armed conflict. The total indirect beneficiaries will be far greater as a result of improved capacity and systemsbuilding of child protection mechanisms for CBO and government staff. Projects will be conducted in both GCAs and NGCAs of K/nS, as well as expand to underserved areas of northern Townships of Rakhine State. 5. Risk Assessment and Mitigation Mechanisms Access to some implementation areas can be disrupted due to renewed conflicts (K/nS), or community tensions (Myebon). Community-based child protection mechanism (CBCPM) have proven vital as they has allowed the continuation of lifesaving programming in times of limited access. During the April 2014 evacuations of humanitarian organisations from Sittwe, UNICEF was able to continue programming through CBCPMs, which not only provided vital assistance to children in the camps, but also enabled UNICEF to continue monitoring the situation in the camps. For further engagement on Children and Armed Conflict, existing ceasefire agreements could not be sustained and or outstanding ceasefire negotiations could not be signed, potentially resulting in less interest of the Armed Forces and Ethnic Armed Groups to end recruitment and use of children. For monitoring and reporting on grave violations during armed conflict, intensified hostilities could prevent CTFMR access to affected communities. UNICEF will continue working with and further strengthen the engagement with local CBOs to encourage reporting and response to violations. As of May 2015, despite many uncertainties, engagement with the Armed Forces and Ethnic Armed Groups remains encouraging. 6. Partnerships and Coordination As lead of the Child Protection Sub-Sector in Myanmar, UNICEF will ensure that the activities will be implemented in close coordination with other 18 Meeting the Humanitarian Needs of Children in Myanmar Fundraising Concept Note

7 Sub-Sector members at the national and state level, and will be implemented in collaboration with state and national authorities, including the Department of Social Welfare (DSW), the Myanmar Police Force, including the Anti-Trafficking Unit (ATU), and the Ministry of Defence. Coordination of the CP Sub-Sector at Kachin, Rakhine and at national level, will remain key to ensure consistency of approach, review of challenges and constraints, and implement strategies to address technical and contextual issues that arise. In Rakhine, the sub-sector played a key role in establishing relations between the humanitarian actors and local authorities and security forces. Established relations were non-existent or sporadic, having an impact on programming such as the reunification of children with parents/ caretakers who have been displaced into different camps. Through persistent engagement by the Child Protection coordinator, the Department of Social Welfare (DSW) is now co-chairing the Child Protection Sub-Sector meetings, allowing for the establishment of a more direct link between the authorities and UN and INGOs. In addition, UNICEF organised a training with the Rakhine State Police and the Anti-Trafficking Unit on child-friendly procedures, which served as a crucial entry point for relations with the Police. This opened channels for the CP Coordinator to relate directly to the Rakhine Chief of Police to advocate or intervene for specific child protection cases, including the prevention of individual cases of trafficking or children held for immigration offences. A similar training is planned for January 2016 with the Border Guard police Force in Maungdaw, Northern Rakhine State. In this manner, the Child Protection sub-sector serves as an entry point for wider Protection issues under the mandate of other UN agencies or humanitarian actors. UNICEF will continue to foster the momentum on Mine Risk through its co-chairing role of the National Mine Risk Working Group along with Department of Social Welfare. UNICEF will continue its role as secretariat and co-lead of the UN Country Task Force on Monitoring and Reporting on grave violations against children along with the UN Resident Coordinator, through which it works with the Government of Myanmar, notably the Ministry of Defense, the National Armed Forces as well as listed Non-State Armed Groups. 7. Lessons Learnt Identified as a major gap in mid-2014, UNICEF led the Child Protection sub-sector to expand adolescent programming through the participation of 17 organisations in an inter-agency initiative. Adolescents showed high levels of satisfaction with the programme, and intensified outreach in 2016 will increase inclusiveness. A review in Rakhine revealed that adolescent girls are less likely to be allowed to participate due to conservative community and gender norms. Adolescent boys on the other are hesitant to commit to regular, time consuming activities provided by partners in order to remain available for any work opportunities, even if these do almost never materialise. Thus, programme adaptations had to be made to reach both genders, which includes a more flexible programmatic approach, girls-only home lessons, as well as more individual outreach to adolescents and their families. As for reintegration of children formerly associated with the Armed Forces and Armed Groups and Monitoring and Reporting Mechanisms (MRM) efforts, UNICEF found that implementing partners needed strengthening technical capacity building and close guidance. In response to this need, three child protection and reintegration trainings for all reintegration implementing partners and the Department of Social Welfare (DSW) were conducted in 2014, providing guidance and training on best practices and minimum standards. In 2015, these efforts are reinforced with a dedicated national staff member providing on-the-job training and close follow-up for quality reintegration programming. Meeting the Humanitarian Needs of Children in Myanmar Fundraising Concept Note 19

8 8. Proposed Budget Planned Activities for Outputs K/nS Rakhine Total Direct Programme Costs (all costs in USD) Output 1: Children are covered by child protection case management services 1,300,000 1,580,000 2,880,000 Output 2: Children, families and communities living in landmines and other explosive devices contaminated areas receive MRE 1480, ,000 lesson(s) from the trained human resources. Output 3: Children associated with armed forces and armed National Target 1,750,000 groups are reintegrated nationwide * Sub-Total Programme Costs 1,780,000 1,580,000 6,110,000 Technical Assistance and Monitoring Costs Management, Operational, Monitoring and Technical Assistance costs 650,000 Total direct cost 6,760,000 Indirect Costs 504,800 Total planned budget (direct + indirect costs) 7,300,800 *The budget for Output 5 (release and reintegration of children associated with armed forces) is a national target. It does include children who may be identified and released in both K/nS and Rakhine, but cannot be allocated to individual states. 9. Contact Information For more information please contact: Name Designation contact Mr. Bertrand Bainvel Representative bbainvel@unicef.org Ms. Shalini Bahuguna Deputy Representative sbahuguna@unicef.org Mr. Aaron Greenberg Chief, Child Protection Section agreenberg@unicef.org 20 Meeting the Humanitarian Needs of Children in Myanmar Fundraising Concept Note UNICEF Myanmar/2015/Kyaw Kyaw Winn